LEVERKUSEN, Germany—Bayer MaterialScience plans to invest about $20.6 million to construct a production line at its Dormagen, Germany, facility.
The new line will use carbon dioxide to produce a precursor for polyurethane foam with annual capacity of 5,000 metric tons.
Bayer said the goal of its project—dubbed “Dream Production”— is to launch the first carbon dioxide-based polyols on the market starting in 2016, and that producers of polyols and polyurethanes have already expressed “considerable interest.”
According to Bayer, high-quality polyols based on carbon dioxide are not currently available on a commercial basis. The firm said its new polyols have at least the same high level of quality as conventionally manufactured materials and a more sustainable impact.
Using carbon dioxide as a building block enables a reduction in the amount of petroleum-based raw material propylene oxide, Bayer said.
“Improving the sustainability of everything we do is an integral part of our business strategy and this principle is implemented in our dream production project,” said Bayer MaterialScience CEO Patrick Thomas. “We have succeeded in turning a waste gas that is potentially harmful to the climate into a useful raw material.”
Bayer MaterialScience, a subsidiary of Bayer A.G., reported 2013 sales of about $15.4 billion that focuses on the manufacture of polymer materials for the automotive, electrical, electronics, construction, and sports and leisure industries.
At the end of 2013, the firm said it operated 30 production sites with 14,300 employees worldwide.